Financial Planning News & Articles

July 19, 2016

Property Pain or Gain

There are a lot of myths in investing and a big one is that you will never lose money in bricks and mortar. Well the simple answer is that not only can you, but that many people do every day. And they lose a lot. CoreLogic® RP Data’s – Pain and Gain December Quarter, 2015, report provides some hard numbers to disprove this myth by […]

February 20, 2017

So you think your financial planner is an investment expert?

If you’re thinking “I hope so, that’s what I’m paying them for” I’ve got some bad news for you. It’s highly likely your financial planner/adviser is not qualified to manage investment of your money. For starters let’s clarify what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the day-to-day management of your investment portfolio (e.g. whether you sell BHP shares to fund the purchase of NAB shares […]

March 20, 2017

You paid HOW MUCH???!!!

It was suggested to me recently that I should write a book about what I know to help those looking for financial planning help. But what could I write about that hasn’t been done to death before. There are plenty of books out there talking about wealth accumulation strategies, super, investment fundamentals and strategies, risk management (insurance) and estate planning, etc. and to be honest […]

May 22, 2017

You’re Out of Your Mind

Time for a New TV After getting sick of sharing TV time with the kids we recently decided it was time to replace the broken second TV. Now electrical items fall under my jurisdiction in our house, be that a good thing or not, and it was my job to buy the new TV. In a prior work life I worked for one of the […]

June 20, 2017

Fees for No service

ASIC recently released a report into the behaviour of financial advisers controlled by the big 4 banks and AMP. It probably won’t surprise many that the findings weren’t great, but it was a non-headline grabbing and little reported finding that caught my eye. Further, it is an issue that is not confined to the big 4 and AMP. It is an issue involving the vast […]

September 4, 2017

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

In prior posts, we have highlighted the value in pursuing simple solutions, over complex or simplistic solutions. It has also been highlighted that our desire as humans to feel special can lead us to the misconception we must seek out “special” solutions, which not surprisingly come at a significant price and in reality aren’t special at all. I would like to pick up on da […]

October 10, 2017

This Ain’t No Joke

“A man walks into…” Like the cartoon above, a lot of jokes start with this line, but what I’m about to tell you is no joke. Unfortunately, it is very real and happening every day. Does this sound ridiculous? A man (or woman) walks into…. their local Toyota dealer. They are after a cost effective, reliable, value for money solution to their transport needs. Now […]

November 10, 2017

Behave Your Way to Success

A recent post on LiveWire (link below) identifying 11 habits to avoid for better investment performance is worth a quick look, not just for how it could help you as an investor, but for how a better understanding of the habits it refers to can help you in everyday life. The post identifies 11 natural human behaviours that are often counterproductive when applied to decisions […]

July 19, 2016